Many municipalities display the blue flag, a prestigious distinction awarded by the Environmental and Consumer Education Association (Adeac) and which certifies water quality, safety, accessibility and environmental management, among other issues.
Once again, Spain leads the list with this type of badge. However, the granting of the blue flag is not without controversy because it prohibits the access of domestic animals to bathing areas, at a time when the number of pets (especially dogs and cats) in people's homes is growing. our country.
It is the Coastal Law that defines and regulates the maritime-terrestrial public domain, although the rule does not prohibit the presence of pets on the beach. It is the town councils who regulate this aspect and many opt for the option to obtain the coveted blue flag.
This position coincides with that defended by the president of the Environmental and Consumer Education Association (Adeac), José Palacios, who recalled that, according to studies by the World Health Organization (WHO), “there are microbiological risks to health.” "human damage associated with the presence of dog excrement on beaches, especially for children."
In addition, he has referred to the dogs' own health, especially in summer, due to the high temperatures reached in the sandy areas, which can have a negative impact on them (dehydration, affection to the paw pads, poisoning due to high concentration of sodium from seawater, poisoning by some algae, etc.).
Finally, according to Efe, it maintains that its presence influences the protection of the beach ecosystem, especially if there are dunes, where plant and animal species live, especially birds (some in danger of extinction and essential for the conservation of the ecosystem).
However, there are dissenting voices in some environments regarding the exclusion of domestic animals for the recognition of this distinction on beaches.
According to lawyer Amparo Requena, from INTERcids, an association of legal operators for the legal protection of animals, “we jurists are going to try to recommend to the organization that grants the blue flag that it adapt its criteria to the reality of the moment,” this agency reports. .
He explains that in Spanish society pets are increasingly numerous, another member of the family and they want to share time and leisure together.
In his opinion, the criteria of the organization that assigns the blue flags are even “contravening the recommendations of our state legislation”, in reference to the recent Law on the Protection of the Rights and Welfare of Animals, which recommends that the coexistence with domestic animals in public spaces.
